Technical Field
The present disclosure generally relates to luer adapters. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to an antimicrobial luer adapter for use with a medical device.
Description of the Related Art
Luer adapters are standard fittings used on medical devices. A luer adapter, or luer fitting, it often used to connect and disconnect the medical tubing of one medical device to the medical tubing of another medical device, or to enable the connection of a syringe to a medical device to sample the fluid therein. Luer adapters provide quick connect and disconnect capabilities, with a substantially water tight seal when properly connected.
For example, luer adapters are often used on catheter assemblies. Catheters are flexible medical instruments which facilitate the withdrawal and introduction of fluids from and to body cavities, ducts, and vessels. Catheters have particular application in a hemodialysis procedure where blood is withdrawn from a blood vessel for treatment, and subsequently returned to the blood vessel for circulation. Known hemodialysis catheter assemblies include multiple lumen catheters, such as dual lumen or triple-lumen catheters, which permit bi-directional fluid flow within the catheter whereby one lumen is dedicated for withdrawal of blood from a vessel and the other lumen is dedicated for return of treated blood to the vessel.
Hemodialysis catheter assemblies also often include a hub assembly and extension tubes. The hub assembly connects the catheter to the extension tubes, which connect the hub assembly and catheter to a hemodialysis machine. During an exemplary hemodialysis procedure, a multiple lumen catheter is inserted into a body and blood is withdrawn through an arterial lumen of the catheter. The removed blood is directed to a hemodialysis machine, via a hub assembly and an extension tube, which dialyzes, or purifies, the blood to remove waste and toxins. The dialyzed blood is returned to the patient through a venous lumen of the catheter via the hub assembly and a second extension tube.
A luer adapter is used for connecting each extension tube to a mating tube on a hemodialysis machine. Thus, luer adapters must be durable and robust to resist breaking or cracking during repeated connection and disconnection to and from a hemodialysis machine. The repeated connection and disconnection of a medical device which is placed in a patient's body may expose the patient to infections. For example, as a dialysis technician handles the luer adapter to connect and disconnect the patient from the hemodialysis machine, microbes may be deposited on and into the luer adapter. These microbes may then produce intra-lumenal and extra-lumenal microbial colonization, which can then propagate down the catheters intra-lumenal surfaces, or can be carried into the body through the fluid within the luer adapter connected to the extension tube. Thus, it is also desirable that the luer adapter have anti-microbial characteristics. As such, it is known to mix anti-microbials into the material used to form the luer adapter. However, such anti-microbials mixed into the material used to make the luer adapter tends to weaken the strength and/or robustness of the luer adapter.
Consequently, there is a continuing need for a luer adapter which includes anti-microbial characteristics while maintaining its durability and robustness.